Hot air balloons over the western Algarve

Happy and with a distracted manner, nobody would imagine that Helena Sá is a pilot. Perhaps that’s because the term doesn’t fit her well, as she conquers the skies in an unconventional manner, without wings or engines.

She began ballooning in South Africa, where she was born – the daughter of Portuguese parents. She was 23 then. “I was working in a hotel and had a neighbour who flew balloons. One day he invited me to work for him, and that was it”, and so the life story that has spent almost half the time in the skies.

Living in Germany until recently, Sá came to Portugal to take part in a balloon race. She ended up staying. Now, she’s trying to bring together future balloon pilots from all parts of Europe, with her new business venture – “Barlavento Balloons” – with a “fleet” of just one balloon, which can only take four people at a time, on flights lasting an hour. We ask her what it’s like flying on the wind.

The first requirement to becoming a “passenger of the wind” is to be up before dawn. Very early. This is because “balloons don’t fly in thermal conditions, which usually happens two hours after sunrise”, Sá explains. There are no great limitations to flying, apart from the fact that it’s inadvisable for pregnant women and children under the age of seven.

Before each take off, Helena Sá carefully studies the weather, and the atmospheric conditions for a safe trip. First, the balloon is filled with cold air with the help of a fan. Only afterwards is the air heated by the propane gas burner. On average, the air in the middle of the balloon is approximately 100 degrees centigrade hotter than the exterior temperature.

In the Algarve, the wind normally blows north/ northwest, in the direction of the sea. However, “at different altitudes, we have different winds. The challenge is to find them, and with their help, steer the balloon where we want to go”, Helena explains. The maximum speed reached is around 400 feet per minute.

On every flight, Sá and her passengers are always followed attentively by a recovery team. This consists of a jeep which follows the balloon for the entire trip until it lands…and you never know exactly where that will be. Once their feet are firmly on the ground, it’s traditional to “drink a glass of champagne to celebrate surviving the flight”, she jokes.

For Helena Sá the risks are minimal - even though the Algarve doesn’t have the most favourable conditions for this sport.

“ They’re not the best, due to the geography and the wind. You need to be very experienced”, she says. Besides natural conditions, human influence on the ground doesn’t help either. From cranes to electric pylons, buildings, all sorts of obstacles and rubbish spread throughout the Algarvian countryside - they make operating balloons in this region quite tricky. Helena Sá prefers the Alentejo - which has the potential to be, without doubt, the ballooning capital of Europe.

In aeronautics, the hot air balloon is considered an aircraft, “although it’s a bit slower” than other craft. It has a matriculation number, just like any airplane or helicopter. It even shares some basic equipment like a communication radio, a compass, a GPS and the transponder – an apparatus which identifies an aircraft on radar. When air traffic controllers here detect a balloon in the sky, they “are astounded because they’re not used to it”. The proximity to Faro airport isn’t an obstacle, as long as the flight stays in the permitted air space.

To qualify as a hot air balloon pilot, you must get a (brevet) licence, just as with any other aircraft with an engine. To make commercial flights you must have 75 hours minimum flight hours. “It doesn’t seem much, but if you consider that you can only fly for one hour per day, at dawn, it’s a lot of work”.

A hot air balloon, usually made from special nylon, with a capacity for four passengers and one crew member, costs between 25 and 30 thousand euros. It has a flight life of between 300 and 400 hours. Possibly a little more, if well looked after. The basket is always whicker, a material that is light and super resistant (even if it crashes into a tree). “They haven’t managed to invent anything better than this yet”, Sá smiles.

There are various balloon-making factories in Europe, but the main ones are in the United Kingdom, where this sport is very popular. Spain also has a make that is becoming well known, as does China.

“Ballooning was always popular. It took its time to get to Portugal, and at this moment, there are around 10 of us practicing the sport. It’s a very expensive sport and it’s not easy. It’s not like getting into a plane and starting to fly. It requires time, patience and a lot of dedication on the part of the pilot. Besides this, it also needs plenty of support from family and friends, as it’s not something which you can do alone”.

The current price for a flight is around 165 euros per person. Helena Sá considers that in spite of it being expensive, it is a unique experience. And it’s one that could be a wonderful wedding gift. Perhaps to accompany the champagne, at the end….